Damian Lillard Says Steve Kerr Disrespected Him With Stephen Curry Comparison
After being snubbed from the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers has been a man on a mission.
Since the break, Lillard is averaging 33.5 points per game on 48.0 percent from the field. Those numbers are a far cry from his production of 23.5 points per game and 41.8 percent shooting before the break. Lillard’s most notable game came directly after All-Star Weekend against the Golden State Warriors. In that contest versus the defending champions, Lillard went toe-to-toe with Stephen Curry, posting 51 points in a blowout victory.
After Lillard’s big night, Kerr went on to compare Lillard to Curry, the reigning MVP of the NBA. Of course, Kerr’s comparison to Curry’s historic season was certainly meant to be a compliment. Curry is 45.9 percent from behind the arc, while averaging 30.4 points and 6.6 assists per game. Lillard’s scolding second-half numbers look eerily similar to Curry’s, and their value to their respective team’s is well-known.
However, despite Curry’s on-court prowess, Lillard did not take Kerr’s comments as praise according to Oregon Live.
“I respect Steph Curry. Because what he’s doing is amazing. But I’m my own man. So don’t come to me and say I’m impersonating him. You telling me I’m impersonating somebody by doing well at my job is disrespectful.”
Lillard feels that he is his own player and should be treated as such. However, there is no doubt that stars in the same league can have comparable skills, and Lillard’s recent streak demonstrates that some of his strengths may be in line with some of Curry’s greatest strengths.
Now, with the Warriors and Trail Blazers meeting again on Friday night, Steve Kerr felt the need to clarify his comments on Lillard. According to Sports Illustrated, Kerr told reporters on Friday that Lillard should have been an All-Star selection and says he voted for him.
Steve Kerr sees Trail Blazers' Lillard as All-Star: 'I voted for him' (via @MontePooleCSN) https://t.co/l1Nn9IdOhi pic.twitter.com/m1dCCrUuf2
— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) March 12, 2016
Additionally, Kerr seemed baffled, according to Inside the Warriors, that Lillard took the comments in a negative fashion.
“After the game that night, he had hit like five shots from about 40 feet it felt like, and he was pulling up so deep behind the line, so I was being complimentary. When Steph makes 40-footers and somebody else makes it, it just reminded me of Steph, so I didn’t mean anything by it. He’s a great player.”
Lillard may be reading too much into Kerr’s comments, or he may just feel that this is yet another spectator who is disrespecting him. Of course, it is this “disrespect” that has shadowed his basketball career, and it is what fuels him daily. Lillard’s 11 games after All-Star Weekend demonstrate that, and once again, it has only made from stronger.
Warriors’ Steve Kerr explains why he compared Damian Lillard to Stephen Curry https://t.co/nOCcs9eCKh
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) March 12, 2016
It is unclear if Lillard took Kerr’s comments the wrong way, but his All-Star snubbing is yet another example of one simple truth: Lillard is used to being undervalued. Despite being the 48th best player at his position during the college recruiting process per ESPN, he was not offered by any big schools and was forced to attend Weber State.
Ultimately, as he has continually done, Lillard went on to prove the doubters at Weber State wrong. He made the All-American Team in his final year of college, and ended up being drafted 6th overall by Portland.
So what do you think? Did Damian Lillard take Steve Kerr’s comments the wrong way, or is his displeasure warranted?
[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]
